Towel-cabinet.



A. A. OLSON.

TOWEL CABINET.

` APPLICATION FILED JAN.8.1Q18. i 1,295,578. Patented Feb. 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI l.

A. A. OLSON.

TowE-L CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8. 1918.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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'"";: |1=` A. LSON, 0F CHICAGO, UJEIOAIS, ASSIGNOB. 'T0 JACQUES ROUSSFU,0F

LGS ANGELES, CALHORN'IA.

@WEI-Ummm To all whom z' may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR A. OLsoN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State oflllinois, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements inTowel-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in towel cabinets, of the typedesigned for use in dispensing individual towels, that is a cleanindividual towel to each user.

The object of the invention is the production of a towel cabinet asmentioned, which 'will be of durable and economical construction andefcient in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations l and arrangements of partshereinafter described and claimed. p

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure '1 is a partially sectional side elevation of a towel cabinetembodying one form of the invention,

' Fig. 2, a front elevation of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3, a vertical section through another form of cabinet embodying theinvention,

Fig. 4, a front elevation of Fig. 3, and

Fi 5, a fragmental section illustrating a modi ed iorm of theconstruction seen in Figs. 3 and t.

The form of the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises acabinet consisting of a rear vertical wall or body 6 adjacent the upperend of which is provided a forwardly projecting shelf 7, which isadapted, when t e cabinet is in use, to support a stack of towels 8 asillustrated. At the sides of the support 7 are provided side pieces orda es il to hold the towels against lateral disp acement from saidsupport. At the front side ot su port 7 are provided two verticallyextending posts 10 which serve to hold the towels against forwardhorizontal displacement trom support 7, said posts 10 being rigidlysecured at their lower ends to said support, as'seen in Fig. 2.

Each towel 8 is provided adjacent its front edge with a centrallypositioned grometed opening 11,'throngh which a dexible retaining member12, in the form of achain,

is adapted to be passed, said chain, 'after Specication of LettersPatent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

Application led January 8, 1918. Serial No. 210,825.

- passing upwardly through the holes in the towels, being broughtforward and then downward loosely, the same depending into an upwardlyopening soiled towel receptacle 13 provided at the lower end of thecabinet. The-two ends of the chain are locked together' by a padlock 14.In order to accommodate the chain, the support 7 is pro# vided at itsfront edge with a forwardly opening central notch' 15, through which thechain is adapted to loosely pass. The posts 10 are spaced apart so as toform a vertically extending slot 16 between the same, which permits offree passage and free vertical movement of the chain,ythe arrangement,in

other words, being such that the upper por? tion or bight of the chainwill be unsupported, except by the towels through which it passes, theupward extension of the chain being determined by the height of thestack of towels on support 7 In using the cabinet a bundle or stack oftowels may be strung and locked upon the chain at the laundry, theattendant or laundry man placing the stack of towels upon the support 7with the chain arranged as seen in Fig. 1. A prospective user of a towelneeds only to grasp the uppermost towel and bring the same over orbetween the posts 10, and after use allow the same to drop, when thetowel will be guided by the chain into the soiled towel receptacle 13.The towels remaining in the stack, after a towel has thus been removedfrom the stack. will be held in place against'forward horizontaldisplacement by the posts 10.

ln the form shown in Fi 3, 4 and 5, a cabinet is provided, comprlsing abody 17, in the upper end et which is provided a shelf or towel support18. Said support 18 constitutes the bottom of a clean towel receptacle19, the upper side of which is provided with an upwardlyswinging door20. hinged at 21. The front side of the clean towel receptacle 19 isformed by a forwardly or horizontally swinging door 22, which is hingedat. 2d, said door being adapted to be looked in closed position bv anysuitable locking means, such as a padlock 2d.

rlhe door 22 is formed with a central vertical slot 25 which entendsdownwardly from the upper edge thereof, said slot being adapted toaccommodate the towel retaining chain 12 in precisely the same manner asthe slot lo formed between the posts l0 in the forni of the constructionfirst described.

ln this forni of the construction the towel retaining chain passesupwardly through the towels 8, a stack of which is adapted to beaccommodated in the receptacle 19` arranged upon the support i8, saidchain, after passing upwardly through the towels, being broughtforwardly through the slot 25, whence the same hangs loosely, passingdownwardly into a soiled towel receptacle 26 formed in the lower end ofthe cabinet. rll`he ends of the retainer chain are, as before, lockedtogether by a suitable locking device 14. 'lhe forward edge of thesupport or shelf 18 is forn'ied with a centrally positioned notch 27through which the chain is adapted to loosely pass, in precisely thesaine manner as in the form of the construction first described. lnorder to guide the soiled towels-into the receptacle 26, after releaseby a user, a forwardly projecting inclined chute or lip 28 is provided,leading- 'to said receptacle,

ln this forni of the construction it will be seen that the retainerchain will embrace or encircle the door 22, so that when said door islocked by the loclr 2li, the retainer chain and hence the towelsarranged thereon will be positively locked to the cabinet. ln using thisforni of the cabinet, a user needs only to raise the cover 20, reachinto the receptacle it' and withdraw v.ie uppermost towel from thestach, so doing the towel is upwardly and forwardly over the door orthrough theslot 25, the towel after use and release by the user, beingguided by the retainer and the chute 28 downwardly into the soiled towelreceptacle 26. lin order to insure ready engagement of the chain withthe 25, after each succeeding withdrawal of a clean towel, the upper endof said slot may be dared, as clearly seen in "Fig, d. flcorrespending;P formation of the slot lf3, of the first described form,may also be employed for the saine purpose. ln

this 'form of the cabinet, as in the forni first described, the upperend or bight of the retainer chain will be unsupported except by thetowels arranged the clean towel receptacle i9, the upward extension ofthe chain being,r determined by the height of the stach of towels. issaid stach of towels diminishes, the bight or upper portion of the chainwill correspondingly lower by gravit and will be guided in this movementy the sides of slot i6. The gradual lowering of the bight or upperportion of the chain renders it unnecessary for a towel user to lift`the towel above the stack; it being possible, in removing the uppermosttowel from the stach, simply draw the saine forwardly through the slotbetween the stops or in the door, as the case may be, at the front ofthe clean towel support. Also, with nascere this arrangement, the weightof the towel guide, especially when soiled towels weigh down the lowerend thereof, will have a tendency to hold the towels in close, compactarrangement on the clean towel support and will prevent accidentalshifting or displacement of the towels from said support.

ln the forms of the construction described, it will be seen that thefront portion of the chain rests closely against the front side of thecabinet, and thus the free downward sliding thereon of the towel be icapable of variation and modification with- I out departing from thespirit of the invention. l, therefore, do not wish to be limited to theprecise details of construction iet forth, but desire to avail myself ofsush variations. and inodii'ications as come within the scope of theappended claims.

Having described my invention what l claim as new desire to secure byLetters hatent is:

l. 'in a device of the class described, a

towel support; a flenible retaininr;n member extending upwardly fromsaid support through the towels arranged on said support and thendownwardly beyond the edges i of the towels, whereby the upper portionof said retaining member is unsupported encept by the towels on said'towel support, and the upward extension of said retaining member isdetermined by the height of the stack of towels on said towel support;and means for holding the towels against horizontal displacement fromsaid towel support. said means being vertically slotted to permit offree downward vertical movenient of said retaining1 member as the numberof towels on said support diminishes, substantially as described.

2. ln a device of the class described, a

towel support; a lenible retaining member i extendingq Iuqcwardly fromsaid support through the tiwels arranged on said support and thendownwardly beyond the front edges of the towels, whereby the upper por-vtion of said retaining rneinber is unsup-- a ported except by the towelson said towel support and the upward extension of said retaining memberis determined by the height of the stack of towels on saidtowel support;and forwardly inclined means enlll lll

Masacre gaging with-the front edges of the towels Afor holding thelatter against horizontal displacement from said towel support, saidmeans having a slot t0 permit of free downward vertical movement of saidretaining member as the number of towels on said rupport diminishes,substantially as desribed.

3. In a device of the class described, a towel support; a flexibleretaining member extending upwardly from said support through the towelsarranged on said support and then downwardly; and means encircled bysaid retaining member for holding the towels against horizontaldisplacement from said towel support and permitting of free downwardvertical movement of said retaining member above said towel support asthe number of towels on said support diminishes, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a device of the class described, a

towel support; a flexible retaining member l extending upwardly fromsaid support through the towels arranged on said support and thendownwardly; and a horizontally swinging door at the front of said towelsupport for holding the towels against horizontal displacement from saidtowel support, said door having a slot extending downwardly from theupper edge thereof to said support permitting of free passage anddownward vertical movement of said retaining member as the number oftowels on said support diminishes, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described, a towel support; a flexibleretaining member extending upwardly from 'said support through thetowels arran ed on said support and then downwar ly, whereby the upperportion of said retaining member is unsupported except by the towels onsaid towel support; and means for holding thel towels against horizontaldisplacement from said towel support, said means permitting freedownward vertical movement of said retaining member as the number oftowels on said support diminishes, and guiding said retaining member insaid movement thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification ir thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR'A. oLsoN

